Supervised by: Prof. Dr. Florian Zemmin / Dr. Emad Alali

This Forum offers Syrian students, academics, and those interested in Syrian affairs a space to discuss the political process in Syria. The forum focuses on political concepts and theories, as well as their real manifestations in the Syrian context. This contributes to the formation of a knowledge base that is essential for the academic understanding of, as well as the actual participation in political and social life. The forum analyzes and discusses central concepts of Syrian politics and society, including their history, contemporary usages, and normative implications. These concepts namely are the following: state and authority, democracy and authoritarianism, sectarianism, civil society, identity, and political ideology.

Contributions resulting from the discussions will be published on the Arabic Sociology website (arabicsociology.net), as well as in Arabic, to make them accessible to the Syrian and Arab public.

To register or find out more about the project, please email Dr. Emad Alali emad.alali@fu-berlin.de 

Timeframe: April–September 2026
Thursday, 23 April 2026, 2:00–5:00 pm

Thursday, 21 May 2026, 2:00–5:00 pm

Thursday, 18 June 2026, 2:00–5:00 pm

Thursday, 16 July 2026, 2:00–5:00 pm

Venue: Seminar Room 2.2051, Institute of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies,

Freie Universität Berlin, Fabeckstr.23/25 | 14195 Berlin